The other day I tied up a few ledger rigs for a m8..
I tie on a jig.
I dont cut between bottom sinker loop and top loop so when rolled onto a old spool, just pick up small loop, clip onto the mainline, unwind (1st trace already has hooks) then snip between the bottom of the sinker loop and before next mainline loop..
Anyway they messed it up..
So then later showed them how it works, again... was a good idea
I pull up the dropper loops so tidy, but not all the way and things then got interesting..
Was told not having pulled full tight, when fish on they would pull up , create heat and fail... like 30 /50m down under the water?
As against, simply bit of spit ?
As many know , I use my machine lath to test knots, and how different methods of tieing can effect the final knot.
E.G. braid knots, FG type.. if one doesnt pull up every turn tight as you go, the integrity of the know suffers , often baddy.
Other mono/ fluro knots like uni, clinch, rapla, lefty.. these all need to be pulled up and loaded when tied.
The Dropper, doesnt. If one pulls up, to get the knot to form up, but still quite 'loose' It takes a lot more abuse, both constant load and being jerked, and combination of these ... When one watches on the testing, Thinking about a good sized fish or shark.. The initial weight / load of the fish pulls the knot up a little, then it knows its hooked and start to get..excited, jump around... the knot not being fully pulled up takes these excessive loads by pulling up more, like a shock absorber .. sorta.
From there it tends to be constant bend in rod/ load, knot is near pulled up, and further jumping around of the fish, eventually pulls it up.
Had been doing this for decades, as thats what did when fishing with the old man. It is interesting to actually mess with knots, and how they get tied and the lathe, scales etc then actually see what is and is not..rather than hear say..
Another thing is distance of hooks and length of the loop.. Do not use supple trace for ledgers... Then you can put the hooks and the sinker loop at a distance so when no bait on land the hooks will
just hook each other...
Yep a so called big no no.
In practice, put a bit bait on , and because of the stiffer trace line, they dont actually ever hook together.
And in practice you will find even the supple trace doesnt either.
Ledgers made of supple trace, also make good off the cuff stray lines... just change the sinker from bottom loop to the mainline clip and tidy baits so doesnt spin up in current.
Side note:
Anyone, and I know here couple did, grow up in Glen Innes from the start of the 60s? In Mayfair Pl there was Barber shop, couple doors up from XYZ Fruit and Veggie (and still is) . In the front window had rods, fishing gear, etc etc. Back then other than Wisemans (who rems those shops) not many places sold fishing gear... Any way that where I grew up, as it was owned and run by my parents.